1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a pivoting roof rack for motor vehicles. In particular, the invention relates to a roof rack having extendable load tubes that can be pivoted downward off of the roof of the vehicle for loading heavy loads.
2. The Prior Art
Many people use rack systems on the roofs of their vehicles for carrying large loads. These rack systems generally consist of horizontal bars that extend across the roof and area attached to the vehicle's integrated support bars, or directly to the vehicle's roof. Additional components such as ski racks, boat racks, and bicycle racks can then be attached to these horizontal bars. The downside to these traditional rack systems is that it can often be very difficult to load large, heavy items, such as boats and kayaks onto the roof of a car or truck.
Several attempts have been made to provide rack systems that pivot downward to provide a way to attach boats or other large items to the rack system below the top of the roof, and then place the rack system back onto the roof. This alleviates the need to carry the heavy items up to the top of vehicle roof.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,782,391 to Cretcher shows a vehicle roof rack loading mechanism where a lift member can be slid outward from the vehicle roof, pivoted downward to allow for loading, and then slid back across the roof and locked in place. The lift member is slid though a support bracket that is attached to the roof of the car, and then secured to a cross-bar on the vehicle roof. The problem with this device is that the connection of the lift member to the bracket can generate a lot of friction, and it is still very difficult to lift heavy objects up onto the top of the roof.